Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Herzliya

For one person, living is cheaper in Herzliya: $1,295 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $3,900 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Budapest outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index
63

Cost of Living Index in Herzliya
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Herzliya Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Herzliya

🇮🇱 Israel

$1,295

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Herzliya

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Budapest and in Herzliya actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,619 per month in Budapest vs $1,295 in Herzliya, rent included.

Budapest $1,619
Herzliya $1,295

A couple spends around $2,524 per month in Budapest vs $2,110 in Herzliya, rent included.

Budapest $2,524
Herzliya $2,110

A family of three spends $3,429 per month in Budapest vs $2,925 in Herzliya, rent included.

Budapest $3,429
Herzliya $2,925

Budapest costs about 25% more than Herzliya, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Budapest sits 20% above the global median, while Herzliya is 4% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.94 Ft 4,503

$22.84 ₪71.1

-38.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

$96.5 ₪300

-36.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 Ft 3,291

$16.51 ₪51.4

-38.28%

Cappuccino

$3.26 Ft 1,055

$4.98 ₪15.48

-34.54%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 Ft 690

$3.05 ₪9.50

-29.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 Ft 577

$2.23 ₪6.95

-20.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 Ft 1,198

$8.30 ₪25.82

-55.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 Ft 1,217

$9.81 ₪30.54

-61.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 Ft 371

$2.21 ₪6.86

-47.96%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 Ft 578

$1.56 ₪4.85

14.74%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 804

$2.37 ₪7.37

5.06%

Eggs

$3.90 Ft 1,261

$5.45 ₪16.95

-28.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 Ft 3,587

$14.42 ₪44.86

-23.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 Ft 2,139

$12.15 ₪37.79

-45.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,745

$19.39 ₪60.3

-24.24%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 Ft 591

$4.17 ₪12.96

-56.12%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 Ft 661

$3.20 ₪9.94

-35.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 765

$1.24 ₪3.87

91.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 Ft 1,260

$1.90 ₪5.90

105.26%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$1.60 ₪4.99

-38.13%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 Ft 322

$0.97 ₪3.03

3.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 511

$1.56 ₪4.86

1.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 Ft 216

$0.82 ₪2.57

-18.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,572

$13.73 ₪42.71

-42.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.22 Ft 2,009

$11.09 ₪34.51

-43.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 Ft 411

$2.66 ₪8.26

-52.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 Ft 654

$2.53 ₪7.86

-19.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 Ft 490

$2.53 ₪7.87

-39.92%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,053

$77.1 ₪240

-63.65%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 Ft 1,070

$4.11 ₪12.80

-19.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 442

$1.33 ₪4.13

3.01%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 Ft 6,406

$31.73 ₪98.7

-37.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 589

$2.53 ₪7.87

-28.06%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

$57.0K ₪177.2K

-47.69%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

$56.1K ₪174.5K

-39.72%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$171 Ft 55.3K

$261 ₪811

-34.36%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$23.51 Ft 7,596

$11.50 ₪35.78

104.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.29 Ft 7,526

$44.59 ₪139

-47.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

Cinema Ticket

$9.30 Ft 3,004

$12.84 ₪39.96

-27.57%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$533 Ft 172.3K

$1,130 ₪3,517

-52.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$24.7K ₪76.9K

-32.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

$37.21 ₪116

167.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

$40.78 ₪127

6.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.7K

$98.2 ₪305

12.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$115 ₪357

3.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 Ft 268.3K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$622 Ft 200.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

5.05

27.72%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Last update for Herzliya: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$622 38.4%

Herzliya

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.9%

Herzliya

$349 27% 35.3% $91

Eating Out

Budapest

$223 13.8%

Herzliya

$374 28.9% 67.8% $151

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$218 13.5%

Herzliya

$317 24.5% 45.4% $99

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.4%

Herzliya

$131 10.1% 21.9% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$86 5.3%

Herzliya

$26 * 2% 70.2% $60

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Herzliya

$98 7.6% 121% $54

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Budapest versus $97.0 in Herzliya. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $349 – making Budapest the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇮🇱 Herzliya

🕒 Local time

09:31 9:31 AM

10:31 10:31 AM

1 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

106,022

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Israeli New Shekel ILS ₪

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

1 ILS = 0.321 USD

1 ILS = 0.286 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ILS, USD, EUR to HUF – Hungarian Forint Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇭🇺 Hungarian Forint (Ft)

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 323 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 363 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

Israeli New Shekel exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 3.11 ILS (1 ILS = 0.321 USD). 1 EUR = 3.5 ILS (1 ILS = 0.286 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

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Between locations

Budapest Herzliya 2,170 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

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Budapest
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Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Budapest vs Herzliya: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 25%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,428 per month in Budapest and $1,942 in Herzliya. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Public transport costs about 175% less in Herzliya. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $533 per month in Budapest and $1,130 in Herzliya. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Herzliya, where all-in costs run around $1,295, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Herzliya it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Herzliya – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Herzliya. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Budapest makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.